Lausanne, Switzerland, June 11, 2018 - With Brazil needing three points in any combination, Serbia and Turkey needing one win (on full points) and the Netherlands two (on full points), the final week of pool play in the 2018 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League keeps fans on the edge of their seats starting Tuesday, as all four try to ward off Italy's advances, who are also in with a chance of qualifying to the finals of the inaugural tournament.
Table leaders USA and hosts China are already in the Final Six, 27 June to 1 July in Nanjing, regardless of this week's results, but the remaining four berths are up for grabs.
These are the pools for this week:
• Pool 17 in Stuttgart: Germany, Netherlands, Turkey, China.
• Pool 18 in Walbrzych: Poland, Russia, Dominican Republic, Japan.
• Pool 19 in Eboli: Italy, Belgium, Brazil, Thailand.
• Pool 20 in Sante Fe: Argentina, Korea, Serbia, USA.
Check out the full schedule of Week 5 here.
And here's what to watch out for Week 5:
• Turkey and the Netherlands go head-to-head on Tuesday in Stuttgart in the most deciding match for a ticket to Nanjing. It's the first encounter between the two sides since coach Giovanni switched sides, moving from the Netherlands to Turkey.
• Can reigning European champions Serbia secure the three-point win they need this week in their first game against reiginign world champions USA, or will they have to try again in Santa Fe against their next opponents, Argentina and Korea?
• Can Italy overtake any one of four non-qualified teams already above them in the table by scoring three wins for full points against Thailand, Belgium and Brazil?
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